On the Bi-Centennial of Mikveh Israel's founding, many of our Nation's most influential leaders reached out to our Congreation with warm wishes of support and celebration for our historic past. In a precedent repeated by future Presidents, Franklin D. Roosevelt sent this letter to Mikveh Israel during our 200th year anniversary and in it speaks of Mikveh Israel's place in our colonial past. He states quite elequently that he hopes our "beneficent influence in the furtue may be in keeping with the high traditions which are its priceless heritage."